The Hindu : Tamil Nadu News : Huge haul of idols, artefacts

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Wednesday, Sep 30, 2009
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Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu

Huge haul of idols, artefacts

Special Correspondent

recovered: The idols and artefacts seized by the Chennai Suburban police .

TAMBARAM: Several idols of gods and goddesses and temple artefacts, whose date and exact value are yet to be established, were seized from suburban Jalladampettai near Tambaram and Vellore since Saturday.

Briefing reporters at his office in St. Thomas Mount on Tuesday, Chennai Suburban Police Commissioner S.R. Jangid said a team of personnel from the Central Crime Branch acted on a tip-off and raided a house on Anna Street, Weaver’s Colony in Jalladampettai.

They recovered idols of Siva and Parvathy, Murugan and Deivaanai and Ganesha and arrested P. Uma Maheswari (39), B. Boopendran (27), R. Arangulavan (26) and T. Tiruchelvam (28). Interrogations revealed that the group was planning to sell the idols for nearly Rs.1 crore, Mr. Jangid said.

Uma Maheswari was an agent who organised supporting actors for films and television serials. Arangulavan had acted in TV serials such as ‘Rekha IPS’ and ‘Azhagiya Naatkal.’ Boopendran and Tiruchelvam were accomplices of gangster Chera.

Following Uma Maheswari’s confession, the CCB team raided the house of P.Vijay Murugan (26) in Vellore and recovered about two dozen smaller temple idols and artefacts such as swords, spears, a huge traditional lamp (‘kuthu villakku’) measuring about five feet and a big conch (‘valamburi sangu’) among others. Vijay Murugan claimed to be State organiser of ‘All India Human Rights Organisation.’

Mr. Jangid said that they were coordinating with the Department of Archaeology to ascertain if the idols were genuine and rare panchaloha idols and if they had antique value.

The police were also in touch with the Idol Wing CID of Tamil Nadu police, Mr. Jangid added.

V. Varadharaju, Deputy Commissioner of Police, St. Thomas Mount, and S. Jayakumar, Assistant Commissioner, CCB, were also present.

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